la bam Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 Ebay must be rattling everybody with this. I wanted to buy a bass today from a retailer who also have shops. I asked if I could pick up from shop or warehouse as both are literally 500 yards away. I didn't want it posting (or to wait). However, it was obvious that they were very worried Ebay would see this as an attempt to try and meet up (which it wasnt) and said they could get suspended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 On 21/03/2019 at 08:38, warwickhunt said: Just had a suspension on my ebay account as I'd breached eBay's policies; I phoned them to get details as the email was a bit vague! I sent a message asking a seller if I could check out the condition of a bass and he duly sent his address but it transpires that asking to view an item before actually buying it, isn't permitted. I argued that there were many instances (especially a bass) where a seller's description and/or pics might not be sufficient. However, they say that the only permitted course is for a buyer to purchase it, then if it doesn't match the description you can file for a refund... REALLY? This isn't so much a rant (their policies are part of T&Cs so you can't argue) but a heads up to be careful when communicating as your account can be suspended (3 days) with the potential for them to delete your account. Suspending a buyer? That's about as dumb as it gets. Ok you may end up buying directly from the seller on this one purchase but eBay is all about buying at a distance and it's rare that you get the chance to try before you buy. Pushing a buyer off like that is bad business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BreadBin Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 1 hour ago, gjones said: Suspending a buyer? That's about as dumb as it gets. Ok you may end up buying directly from the seller on this one purchase but eBay is all about buying at a distance and it's rare that you get the chance to try before you buy. Pushing a buyer off like that is bad business. Exactly! Doesn't stop them doing it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted March 23, 2019 Author Share Posted March 23, 2019 3 hours ago, gjones said: eBay is all about buying at a distance and it's rare that you get the chance to try before you buy. This was my argument, especially as an instrument is a very personal preference/choice. However, their response is; buy it, if you don't like it when you receive it... send it back! Interestingly I've played plenty basses that I've just not liked and I couldn't for the life of me say why BUT on the face of it you could argue that there is intrinsically nothing wrong with a particular instrument and a seller could argue that it is exactly as described (i.e, physical condition). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 Two minutes of research took me to https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/resolving-buyer-issues/contacting-buyer-bidder?id=4083 How to share your phone number with buyers You can also make your phone number available to buyers so they can contact you by phone before and/or after they’ve bought from you. You’ll need to opt in before you can share your number though. Here’s how: ... So it appears it's perfectly OK for them to contact you by phone, you just need to set it up so they can. I've just tried doing it and it's simple. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted March 23, 2019 Author Share Posted March 23, 2019 20 minutes ago, tauzero said: Two minutes of research took me to https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/resolving-buyer-issues/contacting-buyer-bidder?id=4083 How to share your phone number with buyers You can also make your phone number available to buyers so they can contact you by phone before and/or after they’ve bought from you. You’ll need to opt in before you can share your number though. Here’s how: ... So it appears it's perfectly OK for them to contact you by phone, you just need to set it up so they can. I've just tried doing it and it's simple. You may be able to talk to them but eBay don't want you actually meeting them! I phoned ebay and spoke to two of their team and they explained that my account was suspended as the seller shared his address and it contravenes T&C to view before you buy... you can buy, pay for it THEN view (and return or ask for refund if not satisfied) but not viewing first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BreadBin Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 4 hours ago, tauzero said: Two minutes of research took me to https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/resolving-buyer-issues/contacting-buyer-bidder?id=4083 How to share your phone number with buyers You can also make your phone number available to buyers so they can contact you by phone before and/or after they’ve bought from you. You’ll need to opt in before you can share your number though. Here’s how: ... So it appears it's perfectly OK for them to contact you by phone, you just need to set it up so they can. I've just tried doing it and it's simple. All well and good but the issue here is that the buyer gets their account suspended for attempting contact outside of eBay. Your link is irrelevant to this. 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggaebass Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 I’ve viewed quite a few basses before I bought them, and the seller gave me their address, I didn’t know you wasn’t supposed to do that . Was I just lucky eBay didn’t suspend my account? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BreadBin Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 20 minutes ago, Reggaebass said: I’ve viewed quite a few basses before I bought them, and the seller gave me their address, I didn’t know you wasn’t supposed to do that . Was I just lucky eBay didn’t suspend my account? Yes, to put it bluntly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 7 hours ago, warwickhunt said: You may be able to talk to them but eBay don't want you actually meeting them! I phoned ebay and spoke to two of their team and they explained that my account was suspended as the seller shared his address and it contravenes T&C to view before you buy... you can buy, pay for it THEN view (and return or ask for refund if not satisfied) but not viewing first. It contravenes T&C to share addresses via Ebay. If you have the seller's phone number (legitimately obtained) you can communicate with them outside Ebay. They specifically say "Please remember that we don't have control over communication unless it takes place through eBay." just in case you think they're monitoring your phone. I can't find anything in the T&Cs that prevents viewing before you buy. Have the people you've spoken to at Ebay provided you with a reference for this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 3 hours ago, BreadBin said: All well and good but the issue here is that the buyer gets their account suspended for attempting contact outside of eBay. Your link is irrelevant to this. 🙂 It's not for attempting contact outside of Ebay, it's for supplying contact information via Ebay's messaging system, which is against their T&Cs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted March 23, 2019 Author Share Posted March 23, 2019 3 minutes ago, tauzero said: Have the people you've spoken to at Ebay provided you with a reference for this? No. Received email from them saying my account was suspended for 3 days, with this message: We’re writing to let you know that activity on your account may not be following an important eBay policy that requires all transactions and payments to be completed on eBay. We understand that you might not have known about these policies. We're sending you this notification to ensure that you can follow the policy going forward. Below are the details of where the activity occurred. I'd simply messaged a seller saying could I take a look, they responded and sent me their address. I viewed but walked away as it wasn't quite right for me. Next thing the above message and suspension! eBay staff said that it contravened their policies. When I went through what my options were then, they said the only course a user has is to buy, then return the item if it isn't as described! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BreadBin Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 1 minute ago, warwickhunt said: No. Received email from them saying my account was suspended for 3 days, with this message: We’re writing to let you know that activity on your account may not be following an important eBay policy that requires all transactions and payments to be completed on eBay. We understand that you might not have known about these policies. We're sending you this notification to ensure that you can follow the policy going forward. Below are the details of where the activity occurred. I'd simply messaged a seller saying could I take a look, they responded and sent me their address. I viewed but walked away as it wasn't quite right for me. Next thing the above message and suspension! eBay staff said that it contravened their policies. When I went through what my options were then, they said the only course a user has is to buy, then return the item if it isn't as described! Exactly the same as me. I didn't even look at the wheels! The staff member I spoke to agreed it was perfectly sensible to want to check the condition of the tyres before bidding but nevertheless it wasn't allowed so tough doodoos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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